Now Snowden may spill the beans over NSA in testimony in Germany
Whistleblower Edward Snowden has offered to testify to German authorities about the US National Security Agency’s mass surveillance which has caused uproar around the world.
Snowden with Hans-Christian Stroebele in Moscow
He made the offer after meeting a German Green Party lawmaker,Hans-Christian Stroebele , in Moscow, Bloomberg reported.
The Germans may take him up on it. “We will find possibilities, if Mr. Snowden is prepared to, to speak with German authorities,” said government spokesman Steffen Seibert in Berlin.
Back in Berlin himself , Stroubele revealed a letter signed by Snowden and himself . Snowden accuses the U.S. government of “systemic” crimes and said he faces a “severe and sustained campaign of persecution” for disclosing intelligence secrets.
Snowden would be ready to travel to give testimony if he could remain safely in Germany, Stroebele said .
“I hope that when the difficulties of this humanitarian situation have been resolved, I will be able to cooperate in the responsible finding of fact” in an investigation, Snowden wrote in the letter signed by himself and Stroebele.
The lawmaker posted photos with Snowden on his website.
Revelations last week that the NSA may have tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone have prompted fury in Germany.Lawmakers may call for a parliamentary investigation.
Merkel has sent intelligence officials to the White House this week to “rebuild trust” after she spoke with President Barack Obama on Oct. 23 .
More than cooperating with German authorities, Snowden would prefer to testify before the U.S. Congress to expose “not only aberrations, but in some cases great crimes,” Stroebele said.
“Snowden didn’t strike me as being anti-American at all, but rather the complete opposite,” he told reporters .
Snowden’s lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, has said that leaving Russian territory would end his refugee status.He was due to start a job with a Russian website yesterday.
The former contractor faces espionage charges in the U.S. for disclosing top-secret NSA surveillance programs